Buying Guide

Considering an MX-5 or MGF? There’s a third way – and it’s more affordable than you think

BMW Z3 Roadster

‘It was clear that the BMW Z3 hit the spot in many ways’

Despite BMW’s sporting reputation, it took the company eight decades to have a serious crack at exploiting the affordable opentopped sports car market. Its previous attempt at building a roadster included the 507 of 1956-1959, and only 254 of those were built.

In the 1970s there were fears of legislation being introduced that would outlaw full convertibles, so massmarket car makers held off unveiling anything that might be affected by such rules. But by the early Eighties, such fears had passed and BMW’s thoughts turned to building affordable open-topped cars in big numbers.

Mazda paved the way in 1989 with the MX-5, prompting BMW to build a rival.

When BMW unveiled the Z3 in 1996, it was clear that it hit the spot in many ways, and while road testers of the time felt that there was room for dynamic improvements, the svelte two-seater was still the must-have sports car of 1997. It wasn’t hard to see why – being stylish, brilliantly built and offering decent (if not Tarmac-tearing) performance, it was the roadster with everything. Now, two decades

down the line, its appeal as a classic is arguably greater than ever, because you can buy one for less than the price of a decent MGB.

The Z3 was launched in January 1997 with a 140bhp 1.9-litre fourcylinder engine, but by the end of the year a 2.8-litre six-cylinder had been introduced, just before the M Roadster arrived with a 321bhp M3 engine, major suspension changes and wider rear arches. Later would come the rare and now valuable M Coupé. The introductions continued, with

1.8 and 2.0-litre engines superseding the 1.9-litre unit in April 1999; confusingly, the former powerplant had the same 1895cc displacement as the original 1.9. At the same time a mild facelift brought restyled rear wings, a restyled boot lid, new rear lights and replacement bumpers.

A 3.0-litre engine superseded the 2.8 in June 2000 and a 170bhp 2.2-litre engine replaced the 150bhp 2.0-litre powerplant the following October. Then BMW introduced 2.2 and 3.0 Sport Roadsters with sports suspension, 17-inch alloys and electric seats in February 2001. The final hurrah came in June 2001 with the launch of the 1.9 Sport Roadster.